Red Dawn: Hope Sprung from Pain
by animefan29
Summary: The Akatsuki are not what they seem. They seek the Jinchuuriki to gain the power to destroy a true demon. AU story based off of OOCness.
1. Chapter 1

**Red Dawn: Hope sprung from Pain**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but it sure would be nice if I did

"Hello" - Speaking

'_Hello_' - Thoughts

"**Hello**" - **Demon/Boss Summon Speaking**

'_**Hello**_' - **Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts****Chapter 1: Pain of the Past**

* * *

In the Land of Fire, rain in the summer was rare, but not unheard of. When it does rain, it was usually met with open arms and joy because it meant that the crops would get a drink and the citizens would get a reprieve from the heat. Only one man knew the true meaning behind the rain on that particular day, and it was not a cause for joy. The Heavens were weeping as was he.

He was recognizable as a ninja of Takigakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Waterfall) from the hitat-ate that he wore. This particular shinobi was known for being a merciless killer on the battlefield who would rip the very hearts from his still living foes, and there were those that said that the only thing he cared for was money. Yet, there was one thing that could bring tears to this professional's eyes: the sight of one of his closest friends drawing his last breath upon the floor of a valley that had until recently been flat woodland.

Being a ninja, he was used to the death of both enemies and allies, but that was when they died for a purpose. His friend however, a Konoha shinobi, was near dead from a battle not in the defense of Konohagakure, but on a retrieval mission to bring back a fellow Konoha shinobi.

The leaf-nin was none other than the Shodaime Hokage, leader and founder of Konohagakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Leaves). The waterfall-nin was a man by the name of Kakuzu.

"Cough….cough…. It is good…cough…to see you one last time Kakuzu." The Hokage said rather weakly.

"Save your strength old friend. The reinforcements will be here soon with a medic, and then we can get you to the Konoha hospital." Said Kakuzu, who still had hopes of saving one of the few people he cared for more than money.

"Heh…cough…heh…cough…You and I both know…cough…that I have…cough… at most minutes left in this world…cough…and that I will die." Stated the Hokage.

Knowing that the end was near Kakuzu had to get answers for the questions that plagued his mind. "I don't understand, he was your best friend. Why would he do this, why would he leave Konoha?"

"He was never…cough…the man…cough…who we thought he was." Answered the Shodaime. "Ever since…cough…he realized…cough…the full power of his Kekkai Genkai…cough…he came to believe…cough….cough…that the village was just holding him back from his destiny. I don't know what…cough…he is planning, but…cough…what…cough…ever it is it does not bold well…cough….cough…for the ninja world and it involves his decedents…cough…and some great source of power." After each word the Shodaime Hokage could feel his strength slipping faster. "It seems as though the Shinigami has finally come for my soul: my only regret is that I will not get the chance to see my grandchildren one last time. Goodbye Kakuzu." And with that the Shodaime Hokage, founder of Konohagakure and one of the most powerful ninja to ever walk the earth closed his eyes one final time.

"Goodbye, old friend," replied Kakuzu. '_No matter what your plans are, no matter how long it takes, no matter what I must do and who I must kill, I _**will**_ stop Uchiha Madara!_' Were the Taki shinobi's final thoughts as he left the scar of land that would come to be known as the Valley of the End.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky, the wind was strong and hot, and the earth was composed of numerous sand dunes that stretched for many miles with only a few outcroppings of rock to provide contrast to the scenery. All of this was to be expected in one of the many numerous deserts that was the Land of Wind.

Currently resting in the shade of one of the outcroppings, hiding from the noon-day sun, was a red haired man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties, wearing the Jounin vest of Sunagakure no Sato. Beside him laid the body of black haired man that seemed to be in his late forties, wearing robes of blue and white. Unlike his companion, he did not care about resting from the heat, seeing as he was already dead.

The living man is known as Aka Suna no Sasori, the greatest puppeteer to have ever been produced by Sunagakure. His dead companion is the Sandaime Kazekage, said to be the strongest Kazekage to have ever lived, whom Sasori had just killed.

'_I am sorry grandmother, for the sins I have committed today, but I had no choice. I had to kill the Sandaime._' Were some of the thoughts going through Sasori's mind. _'Had I not, the Sandaime would have forced you to seal Shukaku the Ichibi no Tanuki into some child, probably an orphan. I know his intentions were only for the good of the village,_ _but if the demon had been sealed into a child then he would have been forced into a life of solitude from his fellow man. And he would have been a danger to the village because of that crazy priest trapped with Shukaku._'

Sasori himself had a lonely childhood when his parents died. If it wasn't for his grandmother, who taught him how to use **Kugutsu no Jutsu** (Puppetry Technique), he probably would have spiraled into a never ending depression. And he knew that any child that contained Shukaku would likely not have even that much.

Knowing that he could never return home, Sasori pulled out his hitat-ate and a kunai which he used to leave a large scratch through the symbol of Suna on it. '_From here on out I am officially dead to both the village and you, grandmother. I hope this doesn't hurt you too much._'

Noticing that the sun had gone down a considerable ways he picked up his gear and his dead companion and departed for one of his secret hideaways to stock up and to prepare the Kazekage for an experimental puppet making process that the sand-nin had been working on.

Sasori sped on his way, not knowing that the Third Great Shinobi war was about to break out, nor that the Sandaime Kazekage had prepared copies of his plans to be found by the future Yondaime Kazekage in case of his death.

* * *

The Land of Grass is a small country known for its large fields and forest full of unusual flora, such as giant mushrooms, on the borders of four countries. These countries included two of the great nations: the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire.

During the Third Great Shinobi War, it was the site of many battles. Within one of the country's few forests, the aftermath of one such battle took the form of a rock cave that has been turned to rubble by rock-nin.

A boy in his early teens beside the pile of rocks. He had an open and friendly, yet aristocratic face with short somewhat spiky black hair. His attire easily identified him as a shinobi. He wore blue shinobi sandals and pants with a shuriken holster taped to his right thigh, a black long sleeved shirt with the Chuunin vest of Konohagakure, and orange rimmed goggles on his head over his Konohagakure hiat-ate .

The shinobi was not in good shape, but he had improved from what he had been. You could tell from the large number of cuts, bruises, and what appeared to be a few broken bones in his right arm and ribs visible through the multiple rips in his clothing. His head was actually not that bad. It also had some cuts, bruises, and bumps that caused a concussion, but nothing life threatening. The most unusual wound he had was the small surgical scar around his left eye socket, which was currently empty and had a bandage wrapped around it.

"Uhhh….What hit me?" Moaned the boy, who upon waking revealed a very unusual eye. The iris was red with three tomoe marks around a normal pupil.

"My guess is that rock pile you are lying next too," came an unexpected reply to the question. "**Too bad that** **you weren't dead, I'm hungry**." Said the voice again, only it sounded rougher and quite a bit more sinister.

Turning his head to the left as quickly as he could without hurting himself, the teen saw what he was sure was the oddest thing in his life, even if he was having trouble recalling it. There was a man, the strangest man in the world. First his head had small yellow eyes that seem to have no 

pupils. It also looked as if someone had painted the left side of his head white and the right side black. He possessed green hair that looked a bit like grass. Then there were his shoulders where it appeared that a giant Venus flytrap was growing. As strange as that was, the oddest thing about him was the fact that he seemed to have just risen out of the ground as if he was a plant that had just sprouted keeping the rest of his body hidden.

"W-w-who ar-r-re y-y-you?" Stuttered the teen as he tried scooting away. (You would too if there was some plant man looking at you as if you were lunch.)

"Zetsu is my name. I am, or at least was a Kusa shinobi, and don't worry I'm not going to eat you." "**Or at least not yet**." Said the monochromatic man who was trying to calm the young man, and failing because of his dual personality. "The real question is who are you?" Asked what could now be identified as the white side. "**And whether or not you will live so I can get a quick bite to eat**." Added what can now be determined as the scary black side. "You can ignore him, he gets rather single minded when he's hungry." Assured Zetsu's white side.

Still not entirely sure about the situation he found himself in, the teen began to reply, "I'm…", only to stop when he realized that he couldn't recall **who** he was. He remembered numerous things, such as the fact that he had shinobi training. He had a vague recollection that there was a war going on between the hidden villages and in which countries those villages where located. He remembered numerous things about chakra, weapons, food, plant and animal life: everything, except for personal information about himself or anyone he might have had contact with. "I don't know who I am," was the response he gave to the freaky plant man.

"Hmmm…those rocks falling on your head must have given you amnesia. However it is obvious from your clothing that you are from Konohagakure no Sato." Stated Zetsu as he was taking in and evaluating the information like a good spy. "**Hey what's up with that eye of yours there?**" Asked Zetsu's not as intelligent, yet just as observant black side.

The young shinobi immediately brought his hand up to his left eye socket and realized that it was not only bandaged but empty as well. "What happened to my eye?"

"Don't know. It was like that when I found you, and I doubt that it was caused in the rock-slide. But I believe my other half was referring to your right eye, which I believe is a fully matured Sharingan Doujutsu that the Uchiha clan is famous for." Said Zetsu answering both questions, even if technically he asked one of them.

At the mention of the name Uchiha, the teen immediately frowned. For some reason he wasn't fond of the name Uchiha, even if might have been his own.

Zetsu saw the frown and using his substantial experience as a spy had come to a similar conclusion as the newly identified Uchiha.

"I don't know why, but I don't like that name," stated the leaf-nin.

"**Why not? From what I hear it's considered a great honor to be born into that prestigious clan**." Questioned Zetsu's black half. "It might have something to do with that missing left eye. I hear that those clans with Doujutsus tend to be rather protective of their eyes. It looks like a professional medic did something with that eye socket of yours, and maybe because of that you had a falling out with the clan," mused his other half.

"Well for whatever reason, all I know is that I do not want to go back to them," stated the Uchiha.

"Then you have a problem, because if you go back to Konoha then you will have to go back to the other Uchihas." "**Normally that would be a problem because if you did not go back you would end up being pronounced as a missing-nin, but considering how I found you they probably think your dead**." Said both halves of Zetsu.

"So what do I do now?"

"You could come with me. Due to some of my more gruesome eating habits I am now considered a criminal in my home village of Kusagakure no Sato." "**What he means is that because of a mission that didn't go well I had to forage for emergency provisions. Which I found in the form of one of my teammates who died**." At these words the Uchiha paled quite a bit, remembering why he was uneasy around the plant man.

"Don't worry. I only eat people who are dead when I find them. If I just ate everything at the first opportunity, then I would not have bothered to dig you out." Said the white half trying once again to reassure the younger shinobi.

"Why would you give me an offer to go with you?" Asked the Uchiha.

"My specialty is intelligence gathering, and having someone with a Doujutsu would be a great help." "**And it would be nice to have someone else to talk to**." Zetsu simply answered.

"All right. I'll go."

"Wonderful! By the way what should I call you?" Questioned Zetsu's white side. "**I highly doubt that you want to be called Uchiha, considering your previous reaction**." Explained the black side.

The young man thought for a minute seeing if he could remember anything of his old name apart from Uchiha. "Tobi…call me Tobi." He said at last.

"Tobi, huh. Well, we'll get moving in a few hours so you can rest to get your strength back." "**I know of a few good hideouts in the Land of Rain, on the southern border of the Land of Grass**." Said Zetsu as he rose the rest of the way out of the ground and went to sit on a rock as he waited for the newly named Tobi to recover enough strength to travel.

* * *

In order to describe the Land of Water, one need not go farther than its name. The place was wet. On the great island nation, one of the most common atmospheric conditions was fog and mist, which was the inspiration for Kirigakure no Sato (The village hidden in the Mist). Kirigakure is the shinobi village known to possess the most kenjutsu users, the best of whom were known as the Seven Shinobi Swordsman.

Unfortunately, the Land of Water has also become known as the land of the bloodline massacre. Because of the great success of those who possessed Kekkai Genkais during the Great Shinobi Wars, people, both civilian and ninja, began to fear and kill those from clans with a Kekkai Genkai or lesser bloodline. The only clan that was left untouched by the massacre was the Kaguya clan who would need the entire military power of Kirigakure to be brought down.

These were the thoughts of one Hoshigaki Kisame, last of the Hoshigaki clan and supposedly strongest of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman, as he made his way to the mainland of the Elemental Countries. His clan had been small and did not play much of a part in the shinobi wars, but the traits of their bloodline were so obvious that they were not spared. The bloodline of the Hoshigaki clan manifested itself in the form of shark like features that allowed clan members to easily survive in water. This fact explained why the giant of a man had blue skin, shark teeth, and what appeared to be gills on his cheeks. On his back, wrapped in bandages, was his zanbato Samehada (Shark Skin). A lethal blade comprised of hundreds of small metal blades that shaves like a shark's skin, and possesses the unique ability of "eating" the chakra of others except for the wielder, unless it is wrapped up as it is now.

The reason Kisame was heading towards the mainland was because he is now marked as an S-class criminal and missing-nin of Kirigakure.

Kisame had decided that he would try to stop the bloodline massacre, and due to his shinobi training, thought that the best way to do that was to kill some of the lesser feudal lords who were in support of it. He may have managed to kill them, but it did nothing to stop the massacre, and Kisame was forced to flee while being pursued by four other members of the Seven Shinobi Swordsman, each of whom were in command of a squad of Kiri hunter-nin. Kisame may have been the strongest of their number, but even he couldn't win against so many other swordsmen, not to mention the hunter-nin.

After all this went through his mind, there was only one think Kisame could think. '_Damn Daimyo. Damn Mizukage. Damn stupid, small minded, bigoted people. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Konoha had bloodline users in the wars, but are they persecuted? Nooooooo. They are praised as heroes and nobility._' At this, all Kisame could do was sigh and try to figure out what he was going to do now.

* * *

Rain. A word that described the weather, the forests, and even the hidden village of the Land of Rain.

There was no spring, summer, autumn, or winter in the Land of Rain. Only a wet season and a dry season, when it rained only once every three days.

So, no one gave the fact that it was currently raining a second thought. Not even Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure no Sato (The Village Hidden in the Rain) and a shinobi of such skill that he defeated and named the Three Legendary Sannin of Konohagakure, could tell that this storm was not natural, but was the work of a jutsu.

A jutsu cast by the former student of Jiraiya of the Sannin, and wielder of the third and rarest Doujutsu, the Rinnegan. His name is Nagato.

His dark hair hid the concentric circles that distinguished his eyes as he gazed impassively across the sight of the recent battle…no massacre.

Beside him was the weeping form of his friend and fellow student, Konan. She simply couldn't control herself when she fell to her knees and cried at the sight before her.

Lying upon the grass, underneath the pouring rain were the prone forms of six bodies. Six comrades who had all met the Toad Sannin Jiraiya and had been inspired by him. They had come across each other here in the Land of Rain and had stuck together. They had all been Konan's friends, but the death that affected her most was the death of the auburn haired boy Yahiko. She, Nagato, and Yahiko had been together for years after they had been orphaned by the Second Great Shinobi War when the three had been taken in and trained for two years by Jiraiya. They were like siblings who would always look out for, and be there for one another.

Until **he **came and shattered that reality.

He had worn ancient red Shinobi battle armor. His hair was as black as the wings of a crow. He carried himself as a warrior and had the aura of a murderer. But it's his eyes that catch your attention. Those red eyes that he called his Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan.

He came to the Land of Rain seeking the one who possessed the Rinnegan, so that he may test the power of his eyes against the bloodline that supposedly created the shinobi world. When he found Nagato he immediately challenged him. Nagato had refused but had been forced into a fight anyway. A fight that had not gone well for him.

_Flashback_

_Nagato was on his knees using his hands for support, as he tried to catch his breath. His opponent loomed over him, waiting for the next move._

"_So this is the power of the legendary Rinnegan…I'm not impressed." Spoke the ominous figure as he took a relaxed stance. Nagato had only managed to cut him a little, and while it was more then what most had been able to do it was not enough. "And here I was hoping for a real challenge to test my eyes. But even the Rinnegan falls before the true power of the Sharingan. Now what shall I do with you?" Mused the man as he pondered the question. "You do seem to have quite a bit of talent. I could find a good use for you amongst my followers. Yes, most useful." He muttered as he came to his decision. "I will give you a choice. You can either choose to serve me with those eyes of yours. Or you can die. Please choose wisely."_

_Nagato brought his head up to let his Rinnegan gaze into his opponent's Sharingan. It was literally a life or death decision, and like all humans he desired to live. But by choosing life, he would have to serve a monster and betray his friends and everything his sensei taught him. In the end there really was no choice. "I…will never serve the likes of you." He said as he spat at the Sharingan wielder's feet._

"_That is a shame. Your eyes would have made a lovely addition to my forces." Sighed the man in red armor, as he raised a katana to deliver the death blow. But before he could strike, he jumped backwards to avoid a flurry of shuriken that embedded into the ground where he once stood._

"_I will not let you kill my friend!" Shouted the auburn haired Yahiko as he leapt in between the two Doujutsu users. He was not alone as five others took up flanking positions around the armor wearing shinobi. Ready to defend their friend and ally as a blue-haired teenager moved behind Nagato, ready to pull him to safety._

_The Sharingan wielder simply looked around at the surrounding shinobi, amused at the interference. "Well, well…these are some loyal friends here. How fortunate for me. Friends always make such good motivators. Nagato! I will give you one more chance to join me. But first let me give a little demonstration."_

_What happened next took two minutes. Each one of Nagato's friends was struck down, one by one. One was burned with a Katon jutsu. Another was stabbed with kunai. Two were brought down with the katana. A blond man had his neck broken through the use of Taijutsu. Finally, those Sharingan eyes turned to Yahiko and the man uttered one word. "__**Tsukuyomi **_(God of the Moon Technique)_." And with that Yahiko fell to the ground screaming in pain as blood trickled from his eyes, ears, and nose before he fell silent for the last time._

"_Heh heh heh…What did you think of my little demonstration Nagato?" Questioned the man as he turned to the Rinnegan user and his blue haired friend. "I spared the girl to serve as a reminder of what I can do to those that defy me, and to those they are close to. I will leave now _

_so that you may have some time to grieve and to think of my offer. And this time, remember to choose wisely." With that said the man vanished with some sort of Ninjutsu._

_End Flashback_

"Nagato…Nagato…NAGATO!" Shouted the blue haired Konan. "What will we do now?" She asked when she had her friend's attention.

"We will have to leave Amegakure and go into hiding. Find someplace small and out of the way so that we may train to prepare for when he finds us again." Nagato finally said. He knew that his eyes had abilities that he had yet to unlock, and he would need them before he could face that man again.

"But even with more training, how can we hope to beat him? Those techniques…those eyes. He was less like a human and more like a demon."

'_Demon…demon…that's it!_' Nagato suddenly remembered something that Jiraiya had said to them during his lessons on Fuuinjutsu. "There is a way Konan. The best way to fight a demon is with the power of a demon." Nagato finally raised his face so that his eyes could be seen through the rain. "One day we will meet again, and on that day you and everything you have planned will be crushed by my hand. This I promise you Uchiha Madara!" Nagato promised, not allowing himself to shed the tears he wishes to cry, letting the shy do that for him.

* * *

Author's Notes: This is just something I thought of and am working on as a side project to my primary story 'The Kitsune Seal'. Anyone who reads this should not expect frequent updates as I will mainly be focusing on 'The Kitsune Seal'. I have a few other ideas that I might work on but my plan is to write more in 'The Kitsune Seal' and this story first.

**Please read and Review**


	2. Pain of the Past continued

**Red Dawn: Hope sprung from Pain**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, but it sure would be nice if I did

"Hello" – Speaking

'_Hello_' – Thoughts

"**Hello**" – **Demon/Boss Summon Speaking**

'_**Hello**_' – **Demon/Boss Summon Thoughts**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Pain of the Past continued**

The moon was full and bright against the inky backdrop of the night sky. The star glimmered and twinkled in such a way that one would think that they were happy and that thought brought a smile to many stargazers. Yet their brilliant light could do nothing to brighten the mood of the man who sat beneath them. A young man in his late teens with platinum hair and a medallion worn around his neck

Hidan sat upon a large rock in the middle of the forest. Beside him rested his trusty scythe, a weapon that had he had used ever since his Genin days. It had started out as a single blade mounted on a pole of wood, but had seen some modifications since he first used it. And it would probably see more.

Before the rock he sat on Hidan could make out the stem rising from what was once his favorite hot spring, a secret getaway that not even his best friend knew about. '_Best friend? Hah, he was the first to turn on me._' Were Hidan's dejected thoughts. He contemplated slipping into the hot water, a habit developed long ago, and let the soothing waters wash away his trouble, but it would just be an exercise of futility. He was no longer capable of enjoying things such as hot springs.

In fact even if it weren't for his condition he would not be able to enjoy the cleansing water. It was because of hot springs that he was now an outcast of his village.

The hidden village he had been born in, Yugakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Hot Spring), is a small village in the Land of Hot Springs. Both the country and hidden village were known for their hot springs which were both more numerous and of a higher quality than those found in the prestigious Land of Fire and Konohagakure no Sato.

The leaders of the country decided to use this natural resource to their advantage and started promoting them to attract cliental that extended from the common man to the rich and famous. Even members of foreign nobility became known to frequent the hot springs. Soon the Land of Hot Springs became known as one giant resort hotel and spa. The cities each built their own expansive luxury resort offering just about any amenity that could be asked for, and the smaller towns and villages offered a more private and traditional experience with their semi-secluded inns.

Because of the dramatic increase in the tourist industry the country became prosperous and as an extension so did Yugakure which had its own hot springs to boast of and whose ninja force were constantly hired out as security for the resorts and to protect travelers from bandits.

Not only was the country prosperous, but it was peaceful. The only real resource that the Land of Hot Springs had were its hot springs, and thanks to the resorts other nations had nothing but good will for the small country.

Alas Hidan was not satisfied with the current situation. It was not that he was one of those shinobi who hated peace and adored killing. He disliked war just as much as the next person. No, his problem was with what the peace was doing to his village and comrades. In simple terms the peace was too peaceful.

Even in times of peace the other hidden villages, especially the five great villages, had to keep a constant vigilance out against possible threats. The inherent rivalries between villages such as Iwagakure and Konohagakure were what kept their ninja from going soft. Without a real threat what was the point of obtaining strength.

That was the problem with Yugakure, they had no enemies. The only missions their village had been requested for in recent years were for hotel security and escorting people to protect them from bandits. And any well trained Genin could easily take care of a bandit much less a Chuunin or a Jounin. So without any outside challenges to worry about Hidan could see the ninja of his home getting lax and slipping in their training.

Sure their academy was keeping their standards up but afterwards is a different story. And Hidan was one of the few who noticed it and it worried him.

Even if there was peace and there were no conflicts between the other nations that didn't mean that there was no threat. All it would take is one ambitious daimyo who wanted to have the prosperous tourist trade, and the Land of Hot Springs would fall at the rate things were going.

So Hidan decided to do something to help his village. He sought out a way to make himself stronger. Strong enough to fight an army of shinobi and win. His search led him to the Followers of Jashin, a violent and blood-thirsty deity that demanded numerous human sacrifices. Hidan had managed to convince the cult to perform a Kinjutsu upon his body. The Kinjutsu would allow his body to survive the most brutal of wounds, even beheading, and come out alive.

Of course such a powerful jutsu had its price to pay. One of the lesser ones is that he would have to pay regular tribute to Jashin to maintain his semi-immortality. A more pressing price was how the jutsu prevented him from feeling anything. And not just pain. Heat, cold, the dirt beneath his feat, the wind on his face, the touch of another human being, he could not feel any of it. Hidan hoped that one day he would discover a jutsu that could counter act that particular side affect but he did not have much hope.

There was one other side affect that he prayed to not only Jashin but any deity that would listen that he would not get. Schizophrenia. Just about every person who had this jutsu placed upon them had been driven mad in one of many ways. Some developed different personalities and others gained multiple personalities. Developing new phobias was also rather common. But it always boiled down to one thing. A psychotic killer that is nearly impossible to stop unless torn apart limb from limb.

That was not a fate that Hidan wanted. He wanted used this Kinjutsu so that he would be able to protect his home. But now he could not even do that.

When he returned to Yugakure he had every intention to keep what had happened to him a secret. After all, Followers of Jashin were generally not well liked or even accepted in most of the world. And for good reason as just about all cult members would just as soon kill you as look at you.

'_Yet it is impossible to keep such a secret from everyone. Especially when you need help to keep the rituals a secret. So I tell the one person I thought I could trust, and what does he do? He tells the elders. Next thing I know I am considered a criminal and have every ninja in the village after my head._' In the end Hidan had been able to escape. He wasn't known as one of the strongest shinobi in Yugakure for nothing.

Hidan raised his head to view the moon once more. '_Now what I'm I supposed to do?_'

* * *

The Land of Earth is one of the largest and most powerful nations in the world. Like each of the five great nations the Land of Earth has a terrain for which they are known for. For the Land of Earth it is their canyons.

One of the larger canyons is home to the Land of Earth's hidden village, Iwagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Rock). The village had been carved into the walls of one of the canyons, a rather smart move as it only provides three directions from which the village can be attacked, each easily defended.

Iwagakure enjoyed being able to boast that they had one of the most well defended villages and has never been successfully attacked. And that was true, for the next ten minutes.

And Deidara, a young blond hair, blue eyed fellow who was looked just a little effeminate, was using each minute to his advantage as he sped away on a white bird shaped clay sculpture he had created with his jutsu.

Deidara is one of the strongest and youngest shinobi his village had to offer known for the explosive constructs he uses for fighting, and there were rumors that he had the potential to be the next Tsuchikage. So why was he running away from his home village?

Because he is about to be named an A-class criminal, maybe even S-class. The reason for why he is about to be declared a criminal is because he has committed an act of terrorism by planting a bomb that had yet to go off in one of the wings in the Tsuchikage tower.

Yet despite what others in the future in the will say Deidara did not do this to hurt his village. He did it to help it.

Spying had never been his strong point but Deidara had discovered a rising militant group among the ninja of Hidden Rock. They called themselves Bedrock and their goal was to usurp the current Tsuchikage and replace him with their leader, one of the Tsuchikage's own advisors. The man in question was what many called a 'war-hawk' and followed a philosophy that in order to maintain strength the village must be in a constant state of war. What he wanted was for Iwagakure to start another war that would last until they had finally conquered their long time enemy Konohagakure no Sato.

They came to Deidara asking him to join them and add his considerable strength to their own. Deidara agreed to help them, but he had no intention of helping them complete their goals. He may have been too young to fight in the last war but he was old enough to see the effect it had had on the village and its people. Especially after the huge numbers of causalities inflicted by Konoha's Yellow Flash. But the Yellow Flash had been dead for years and Bedrock thought the time was right to initiate their plans.

Deidara waited and watched for the day they made their move. Their plan was simple, gather in the Tsuchikage tower and then lead an assault on the Tsuchikage, and if necessary hold the village hostage with Deidara's jutsu. But Deidara had a different plan.

He would leave a bomb where Bedrock gathered and when they were all there, KABOOM! In one swift move Iwagakure's internal threat would be taken care of.

Now why didn't he just take this to the Tsuchikage and warn him? The reason was because he had no proof. Then it would be his word against that of not only the Tsuchikage's advisor, but his most trusted advisor. Between the two the Tsuchikage would never listen to him, at least not without proof.

That left him with just one possible course of action. The one flaw with the plan was that the explosion that would kill Bedrock would tell any experienced ninja who killed them. The methods he used to create his explosive jutsus was pretty unique. Meaning that the explosions would be unique. A form of unique that acted as his signature.

'_Damn, yeah._' Thought Deidara. '_I am in a bind, yeah. I am not exactly a stealth oriented shinobi, so hiding from the hunter-nin will be difficult, yeah. At least I know that they won't try engaging me without some backup, yeah. One of the good things of being a combat explosives expert, yeah. For now I will head to the Land of Rivers, yeah. I can get some good clay there, yeah._'

* * *

Itachi sighed as he walked back home to the Uchiha district. Today had been both tiring and annoying. He wasn't physically tired, no his exhaustion was mental.

It wasn't easy being an Uchiha in the ANBU, and it was only made worse by the fact that he was youngest member of the ANBU in Konoha's history. The problem wasn't him; it was the animosity that existed between the ANBU and the military police that the Uchiha dominated. Heck there was animosity between the entire village and the Uchiha clan. Had been for as long as he could remember. And Itachi's unique position of being the only Uchiha among the ANBU put a lot of pressure on him.

The clan elders were constantly pressuring him to reveal any information that he could about the ANBU, from who its members were, their training, who they were keeping a watch on, guard schedules. Information that he wasn't supposed to reveal but they were insistent on getting. He loved his family dearly but he wasn't about to go revealing village secrets to them.

Being in the ANBU meant that his first loyalties had to be the Hokage and the village, even if it meant hurting his family. And as much as it pained him to admit it the Uchiha clan was up to something, and when he informed the Hokage he was ordered to keep an eye on them.

The pressure from the two groups was starting to get to him. At least there were a few bright spots in his life. There was Kakashi-sempai, a man whom the rest of the clan did not like because of the Sharingan eye he obtained from his teammate Uchiha Obito. There was his younger brother Sasuke. It was unfortunate that he didn't have as much time as he wished to spend with him. And finally there was his teacher, Madara-sensei.

Madara-sensei had appeared before Itachi and his friend Shisui a year ago and challenged them to a fight. The man was an Uchiha like them and was incredibly powerful. Both Itachi and Shisui were hailed as prodigies of the clan and were the best the Uchiha had to offer, yet the two of them couldn't land a single hit on the man.

After the initial fight Madara took the two younger Uchiha under his wing saying that he could train them until they were as strong as he was. Shisui jumped at the opportunity, and while Itachi was a little apprehensive about the man agreed to the training as well.

Itachi would admit that the results were impressive but it ate up a lot of free time which he used to use to spend with Sasuke. Speaking of which, there he was now.

"Itachi-nii, Itachi-nii!" Cried the exuberant youth as he ran through the streets of the Uchiha district to meet his elder brother. "Itachi-nii will you help me with my shuriken throwing."

Itachi sighed again, before raising his index and middle fingers and pushing them against his younger brother's forehead. "Sorry Sasuke. I have to speak with Tou-san and Kaa-san, and then I will be busy for the rest of the night. Next time." He said to the disappointed youth.

Itachi walked into the home of his family. It wasn't hard to find his parents, whenever they had something important to talk to him about they always did it in the back study. And sure enough when he opened the door there they were already waiting for him. "Tou-san, Kaa-san." He greeted the two as he took his position before them.

"Itachi." Greeted his father solemnly. Itachi noted that his mother remained silent, and even looked a little discontent. That was something he was noticing more and more recently about his usually cheerful mother.

His father, Fugaku, seemed intent on getting straight down to business. "Itachi it is time that you were made privy to the councils of the clan, for you will be playing an important role in what is to come."

"I am not sure I understand Tou-san."

"Itachi, for too long the village of Konoha has held back the Uchiha. They fear us and the power of our Sharingan so they have separated us, giving tokens of trust and power that are meaningless." Itachi had heard such things from other members of his family, but what was his father alluding to. "Itachi, soon the Uchiha clan will rise in rebellion against the leaders of this village, and when we do you will be the most important shinobi on our side. It will be your job to use your position to assassinate the Hokage."

* * *

A coup d'état! His father was planning to overthrow the Hokage and the elders and then supplant them as the leaders of the leaders of the village.

It had been several days since Itachi was informed about the coup and he had not wasted that time. He spent it trying to find out everything he could about the plan and the conspirators.

And it wasn't just his father. Just about every member of the Uchiha clan was in on it. Certainly every ninja was and so was a considerable number of the civilians.

It seemed the only Uchiha that did not know were the children under the age of thirteen, just like he was until a few weeks ago. However not everyone wanted to do this. One of them being his mother.

Everything Itachi was told and discovered he informed the Hokage of. The reason was because in the end his true loyalty was with the village. And if the Uchiha attempt this crazy plan, then whether they succeed or not did not matter because either way the village would be weakened and ripe for invasion. It would lead to a war that Konoha had little chance of surviving.

But if he worked hard enough he might be able to stop the attempted coup. The Sandaime had been gracious enough to grant Itachi a grace period to try and stop the Uchiha from the inside, but should he fail once the time period was up then Sarutobi would send in a force of Shinobi to stop the Uchiha.

Itachi only had a few days left, and was at the moment was heading to where Madara and Shisui would be waiting for today's training.

Dropping down in the clearing they were using today, Itachi was rather surprised to see that there wasn't anybody here? '_Odd, normally I am the last one here._'

A soft, almost inaudible sound was all the warning that Itachi had. Spinning around he blocked a katana with his ANBU tanto. Holding the sword was his best friend Shisui, his face stony and emotionless. His Sharingan activated. "Cutting it a bit close aren't you Shisui?" Asked Itachi as he pushed his older friend off. "If I had been anyone else I would be dead."

"It is precisely because you are you that I attacked." Said Shisui. But he sounded off to Itachi.

Itachi frowned. There was something wrong. He quickly glanced around. "Where is Madara-sensei?" He asked of his fellow Uchiha.

"Sensei won't be appearing until he has seen."

"Until he has seen what?"

"Seen which one of us is stronger." Said Shisui as he formed a hand seal and leaped back.

Itachi's eyes widened. The world around him exploded from the hidden exploding tags Shisui had hidden.

As the explosion died down Shisui stepped forward, thinking that it had been easier than expected. Until he got a good look at the blast zone and saw not a trace of Itachi. Just a charred log. The moment of surprise was almost enough for Itachi's shuriken to kill him…almost. There was a reason he was known as 'Shunshin no Shisui' after all. Still, one of the shuriken managed to nick him.

"Substitution, and in such a brief moment. You truly are the prodigy of the Uchiha clan Itachi." Commented Shisui as he turned to face the younger Uchiha, whose own Sharingan eyes were active.

"Shisui, why are you doing this?" Demanded Itachi, his normal emotional calm lifted for the moment.

"Why? Right now the why is not important. Not until it's over." Said Shisui as he disappeared with Shunshin.

But Itachi was more than ready as he leaped forward throwing a ring of shuriken about him.

Shisui blocked the projectiles, knocking them into the trees as he reappeared behind his opponent. He was curious as to what Itachi could be up to with such weak tactics. A sound behind him and he realized they were a distraction. He turned launching a chain of kunai at the Itachi behind him. The blades struck their target, only for Itachi to break apart into a flock of ravens. The ravens turned on Shisui and flew at him.

Shisui realized that this was Genjutsu and broke it, revealing the ravens to be more shuriken. Again he blocked those with his katana, but once he did he saw something that horrified him. Metal wires had been wrapped around his blade. Looking about he could see wires criss-crossing about him like a spider's web. And holding the end of the trap was Itachi.

Itachi had formed the hand seals needed for the jutsu and said, "**Ryuuka no Jutsu** (Dragon Fire Technique)." Taking a deep breath he spewed fire onto the wire, guiding it as it encircled the trapped Uchiha.

Shisui knew that a substitution would do him no good, nor would the trapped sword. Dropping it he grabbed a kunai and used it to cut through the flaming wire**. **Yet his clothes still managed to catch alight. Using the speed of his Shunshin, Shisui rushed to the nearby pond and leaped into the water, dousing the flames. He emerged and stood atop the water, only to be met by a clone of Itachi that grabbed his arms.

"Sorry Shisui." Said the original thirteen year old on the shore as he completed his jutsu. "**Daibakuryuu no Jutsu** (Great Exploding Current Technique)." The water swirled around Shisui and the clone forming a whirlpool. The force of the current buffeted the Uchiha as he was swept beneath the surface.

Itachi smiled. It would only take a few minutes for Shisui to be knocked unconscious and when that happened he could retrieve him, restrain him, and find out what was going on. Why Shisui was fighting harder than he ever had in any of their spars. Why he was going for the kill.

But Shisui had other plans. Itachi's tactics and skills had clearly beaten him and he had lost the battle. There was only one fate left to him. Opening his mouth Shisui released all of the air in his lungs before taking a deep breath and filling them with water.

Itachi's eyes widened in shock. '_What is Shisui doing!?_' He thought as he ended his jutsu. He dived into the water, swam down, grabbed his friend, and pulled him back to the shore. But it was too late, by the time Itachi could do anything Shisui had already drowned.

"Shisui? Shisui!? Why!?" Itachi's mind was reeling. Shisui was dead. His best friend was dead. Because he had to use the water to knock him out instead of a blow to the head. It was his fault Shisui was dead. Tears flowed from his eyes.

The tears burned Itachi's Sharingan. What little light there was hurt them. Covering them with his hands he went over to the edge of the water. Uncovering his eyes he saw a horrifying sight. His Sharingan had changed, the three tomoe merging with the pupil, sticking out like the wings of a pinwheel. From his eyes flowed tears of blood. "What is happening?"

"Your Sharingan is changing into the more advanced form of the Mangekyou Sharingan." Said a voice from behind him.

Itachi spun around to see a man dressed in old armor, hair the color of a crow's wings, Sharingan spinning in his eye. "Sensei!" Exclaimed Itachi. He hadn't sensed anything indicating the approach of the man who was now bent over Shisui appearing to be lost in thought. "Sensei, why did Shisui kill himself? Why did you want to see which of us was stronger?"

"Hmm?" Muttered Madara as he was distracted from examining the dead body of his student. "Oh, it wasn't really so much to see which was stronger. I just wanted to confirm what I already believed. And I must say that I am impressed with the results of your graduation test Itachi. Although I think Shisui was holding back a little. I had to be quiet forceful to convince him to fight you."

"What?" Gasped Itachi. "Sensei, what are you saying?"

"Allow me to explain Itachi. For years, ever since I left this village and fought the Senju Hashirama, I have waited for the appearance of an Uchiha who had the raw talent needed to become my apprentice. To that end I helped to instigate a number of wars for Konoha to participate in. And from the moment I saw you I knew that you would be the one to meet my expectations. So I watched you grow, and when the time was right I introduced myself to you and Shisui here. To help you grow I needed to make sure there was another that could fight around your level, preferably someone you were close to."

"Why?" Barked Itachi, more than a little horrified and disgusted at what Madara was telling him.

"Because, if you are to be my apprentice I needed you to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"Mangekyou?" That meant kaleidoscope but what was it?

"Yes, the Mangekyou is a more advanced version of the Sharingan. It grants its wielder several powerful jutsu and can only be obtained through a rather unique set of circumstances. The most potent of which being emotional grief, such as what you feel after killing a friend." The way Madara discussed the death needed to obtain the power was as if he was speaking of the weather. "Throughout the history of the Uchiha there have been those who obtained the Mangekyou, but I am the first unlock the second form of the Mangekyou." His Sharingan shifted, becoming an eye unlike anything Itachi had seen before. "This is my Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. It is as far above the Mangekyou as the Mangekyou is above the normal Sharingan. And is far more difficult to obtain. But by unlocking it I rid myself of the Mangekyou's weakness."

"Weakness?"

"The Mangekyou is powerful but all power has a price. The price of the Mangekyou is that the more you use it the darker your world will become. Eventually, it will lead to blindness."

Itachi's eyes widened in horror. Like all Uchiha and Hyuuga becoming blind was one of his greatest fears. It comes from living in a society that holds the value of sight so highly.

"But the Eternal form cures that. It's too bad Sasuke was born so far into a period of peace." Said Madara suddenly going off on a different tangent in the conversation. "He has incredible potential much like you, but with the peace he has had no reason to unlock that potential. Oh well. By the way Itachi be sure to be prepared for the coup. You have an important role."

"You know about that!?" Asked a shocked Itachi.

In response Madara chuckled. "Of course I know. I am the one that orchestrated it. Not that Fugaku knows that. He believes he and the elders thought it up. But it was all my idea."

Itachi was having a hard time believing what he was hearing. "How?"

"Simple." Replied Madara. "One of the new abilities of my Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan is that it connects me to those Uchiha who have awakened their Sharingan. Allowing me to manipulate their minds. How else did you think I convinced Shisui to fight you even if he thought you were the stronger. That and I informed him before hand that if he did die in a way that would help you unlock your Mangekyou I would present him with a fate worse than death."

"But the coup! Do you know what that will do to the village!?" Demanded Itachi.

"Of course. Whether the coup succeeds or not it will weaken the village. However even if the Uchiha coup succeeds I will still be leading the Uchiha out and away from the village. Thus leaving Konoha vulnerable to be destroyed at the hands of one of its many enemies, perhaps Iwa. They so do hate Konoha there. But either way the Uchiha clan will have shed itself of this weak village, and I will see Konoha destroyed just as I have always wished ever since its founding. As the same time I will be ridding the Uchiha of those who are weak, allowing me to lead the strongest Uchiha clan ever towards my ultimate goal."

While Madara spoke of his intentions Itachi grasped the hilt of his tanto, just out of Madara's line of sight. "I won't allow!" He shouted quickly freeing his blade from its sheath and charging towards Madara, intent on slaying him and ending this.

Madara just sighed and looked into Itachi's eyes, his Sharingan spinning.

From behind Itachi a multitude of skeletons burst forth from the ground latching onto his limbs, bony fingers and teeth digging into arms, legs, and shoulders. "Gaahh!" Cried Itachi as he felt the pain.

"Really Itachi, I expected better from you. Even if you have new eyes, immature eyes that don't have any power yet I might add, you are still no match for me. You can't even break free of that Genjutsu can you?"

Hearing it was a Genjutsu he tried to bite his lip and generate a pain to help him break free, but that only succeeded in getting him a bloody lip. It did nothing to disrupt the Genjutsu, nor did flaring his chakra.

"If you are through struggling I really have other places to be. So just agree to do your part in the coup so I can go."

"Why don't you just use your eyes to brainwash me?" Snarled Itachi.

"I would except it would sort of defeat the purpose of going through the trouble of making you my apprentice if you are nothing more than a mindless puppet. Also I discovered some time ago that once a person obtains the Mangekyou they are no longer connected to me, meaning that I can no longer manipulate their minds. So Itachi, will you help me or will I need to kill you and put off my plans for a few years until I can use Sasuke?"

Itachi's eyes widened. '_That's his plan! Either I help him or else he'll manipulate Sasuke, probably by using my death._' He hung his head in defeat. "Alright. I will help."

A thin smile spread on Madara's face. "Wonderful." He snapped his fingers, the skeletons disappearing with the sound. "I will see you in a few weeks." He said as he turned to leave. But he stopped and turned his head back to Itachi. "Oh, and Itachi. Just so you know the cure to the Mangekyou's blindess is to remove the Sharingan eyes of your brother and replace them with your own." Madara took pleasure from the sight of horror on Itachi's face as he turned and dissappeared from sight.

Itachi slowly got up on his feet from where he fell when the bones disappeared. He didn't have much time and he had a lot to do.

* * *

Itachi sighed as he looked over the Uchiha district from his position on a power pole. There was simply no other choice. In order to stop the coup and Madara's plans, he would have to kill every Uchiha that either had the Sharingan, or any civilian that agreed with it. When he finishes there would be only a handful of Uchiha left. The sacrifice would be terrible, and it would be necessary.

Itachi closed his eyes and muttered, "**Mangekyou**." Opening them again he revealed his fully mature Mangekyou Sharingan, its triple bladed shuriken design spinning slightly as he thought of what he was about to do.

Silently he leapt to a roof overlooking the busiest street in the district. By taking these people out quickly he would reduce a significant amount of the people he would need to take care of. Itachi pulled out several shuriken and let them fly while using the Shuriken Kage Bunshin to multiply the weapons by a dozen fold. The projectiles struck their mark and the massacre had begun.

* * *

The Sandaime walked the hallway of the hospital. The entire floor of this wing had been sealed off for the private use of the Uchiha that were found still alive this morning. Sarutobi looked in on each person, and each room just filled him with more sorrow.

He and the elders knew that this would happen sooner or later, but he did not expect it to happen like this. With Itachi going rouge and killing his own family. The only saving grace to the old man was that Itachi seemed particularly focused on only killing those who had managed to awaken their Sharingan, and in his haste to kill them left a number of civilians wounded instead of dead.

But whether he spared them out of pity or not, he could not tell. Just about every adult left alive has an injury that if left untreated would have eventually killed them. Even Itachi's own mother Mikoto had such a wound.

The children were relatively unharmed, having only been knocked out. But Sasuke was still an issue. Apparently Itachi had used a powerful Genjutsu upon him, leaving injuries he hadn't thought that anyone outside the Kurama clan could inflict, and the boy who once loved his brother more than anything else in the world was gone.

At least Sasuke still had his mother. Who knows what would have happened to his mentality if he was the only Uchiha left.

The Hokage could not help but wonder what in the world could have driven Itachi to commit such a terrible atrocity. If he had stuck to the plan then these people could have been spared…possibly.

Sarutobi sighed. There was no point in trying to fool himself. The act of an entire clan attempting to overthrow the leadership of the village was not something could be looked over. The plans for the coup were so widespread that nothing less than the extermination of the entire clan would have been acceptable. A fact that he detested but had to live with as Hokage.

In the end Itachi probably did the one thing that would have had at least a semi-acceptable outcome to the lad. Now that there were so few Uchiha, and none of them ninja it would be impossible for them to implement any sort of plan like the coup. And since it is impossible there is no need to order the execution of those who are still alive. And the survivors of the Uchiha massacre will have a new person to direct their anger and feelings of ill will towards, which will hopefully overshadow any feelings that they have for Konoha.

But whatever Itachi's intentions were, the fact that he killed so many citizens of Konoha before deserting the village left the Hokage with no choice. Itachi would have to be labeled both a criminal and a missing-nin. And he will be the second shinobi in Konoha's history to be labeled an S-class missing-nin.

* * *

Uchiha Madara overlooked the village of Konoha from atop the head of the Shodaime Hokage whom he defeated nearly eighty years ago. His face was unreadable beneath the cloak he was wearing to keep the rain off. Even his normally suffocating aura was quiet and still as he contemplated the world around him.

"Not exactly the way you expected things to go, eh Madara-sama." Said a voice from behind him. "I bet what Itachi-san did really threw you for a loop."

Madara did not bother to turn around to acknowledge the one who walked up behind him. "Itachi's actions were somewhat unexpected. But at least he was considerate enough to leave young Sasuke alive. With Itachi's rebellion, Sasuke's death would have left me without a rather important piece in my overall schemes. But what are you doing here Seishiro?" He asked turning to his subordinate. "Don't you have places to go and people to see?"

Seishiro, a man whose hair, eyes, clothing, and cloak were all as dark as midnight, stepped out of the shadows, which did almost nothing to his visibility. "I was on my way to an appointment and I thought I would stop by for a chat. And I figured that while I am here the two of us could destroy this thorn in your side. Konoha always given you trouble, what with the Shodaime and Yondaime sealing away your pet, and your clansmen favoring this village over their leader…" He trailed off.

"No Seishiro. Without the Uchiha coup to weaken the village to outside attack there is no point. Destroying Konoha with our power would just hinder the plan in the long run. If a village as strong as Konoha were to suddenly be destroyed by an unknown force it could very well unite the Elemental countries in an effort to find those responsible and kill them. And as strong as we are we cannot yet stand against the might of the entire shinobi world. But don't worry. This will only delay our plans for a few years. And then once the time comes nothing will be able to stop us. But before I leave this village I will need to replace some scrolls Itachi was probably hoping to use against me."

Madara and Seishiro both departed from the Hokage Mountain and went their separate ways to act towards a common goal, Seishiro dissolving into the shadows and Madara seeming to wink out of existence. The two not knowing how the winds of time and paths of pain and sorrow would lead together those with power rivaling their own.

* * *

In a cavern, hidden away from the rest of the world 9 astral projections winked into existence. The nine people they represented were of all shapes and sizes, and hailed from all over the Elemental Nations. There were drawn together by a common purpose, to see their wish fulfilled.

To make that wish a reality they had each committed crimes and atrocities for which they had to flee their homes with hunters on their tail, but it did not matter to them.

In the center of the group of 9, one man raised his spiky haired head, showing the others the concentric circles that marked his grey eyes. All eyes were drawn to this man and the other eight waited for him to speak. "Our time has finally come Akatsuki."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** It has been months but for some reason I felt like adding another chapter to this story so I wrote this up today. Must have been the fact that we have new information on the members of Akatsuki such as what village Hidan is from.

Anyway just to clarify in the first two chapters there is a lot of time jumping and this is not the order of how I think things happened. But the scenes in the first chapter I believe happened before the Kyuubi's sealing into Naruto (except maybe Kisame's), and the scenes from this chapter happen after the sealing. And as a warning there is a chance that when I write chapter three it will be before the last part in this chapter. I mainly wrote that because it seemed like a climatic note to end on.

And in case anyone was wondering I am borrowing the character Seishiro from the manga Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. He is the guy who controls Oni and I always thought that he made such an interesting character for either a villain or a hero that I am somewhat surprised that he is not used more often.

I know that this is my least popular Naruto story but I hope that those who read it enjoy it.

**Please Read and Review.**


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